Back

Starknet Launches strkBTC to Bring Shielded Bitcoin to Its Layer 2 Network

Starknet announced that strkBTC lets users convert BTC into a privacy-focused asset, hide balances and transfers with shield functions, and restore public visibility through unshield operations on its network.

BTC
STRK

Fact Check
The claim is comprehensively verified by multiple independent, authoritative sources. The official Starknet blog (starknet.io) introduced strkBTC in February 2026 with a Q2 2026 launch target, precisely matching the May 12, 2026 event date. The Block's article published on May 12, 2026 confirms the actual live launch with full technical detail. Ecosystem X accounts including @StarknetEco and @avnu_fi independently confirmed the launch on the same date. All key claim elements are verified: (1) strkBTC lets users convert BTC into a privacy-focused asset — confirmed as a 1:1 BTC-backed wrapper; (2) hide balances and transfers with shield functions — confirmed via ZK-STARK proofs in shielded mode; (3) restore public visibility through unshield operations — confirmed as the unshielded ERC-20 mode. The only minor nuance is that the claim describes it as 'privacy-focused' while sources clarify privacy is optional (user-controlled), not mandatory by default for all operations.
Summary

Starknet announced the launch of strkBTC, a Bitcoin-based asset on its Layer 2 network with privacy features for balances and transfers. According to the announcement, users can convert BTC into strkBTC, use a shield function to hide balances and transfers, and later unshield the asset to restore public visibility. Starknet also said the STRK20 privacy framework supports ERC-20 privacy transfers, adding new technical detail to the project’s shielded Bitcoin product on the network.

Terms & Concepts
  • STRK20: A privacy framework on Starknet that the announcement says supports privacy-preserving transfers for ERC-20 tokens.
  • ERC-20: A common token standard for fungible tokens on Ethereum-compatible networks, used to define how tokens can be transferred and managed.
  • Layer 2: A blockchain scaling network built on top of a base chain to improve throughput and lower transaction costs.